Many current computer customers purchase or lease computer systems having multiple processors with the intention that the computer system be sized to meet expected processor demand. As a result, on the one hand, the customer's computer system may operate in an under-utilized scenario for a significant time, and the customer may thus be paying for excess capacity. On the other hand, the customer's computer system may become overloaded, when, for example, actual demand exceeds a peak value that the customer used in sizing the computer system, when the customer's computing needs expand over time, or when a component failure occurs. Current solutions to this mismatch between actual processor capacity and needed capacity include a “pay-per-use” system wherein the customer pays a reduced price to buy a computer system with a given number of processors while activating only some of the processors. The customer then is able to activate the inactive CPUs at a later time, and is charged at the time of activation for the additional processor capacity. In this manner the customer is able to flexibly scale up its computing power as the customer's needs change.